Young People Praised For Involvement In The Community

Youth Awards finalists and organisers at the Grand Hotel, Tralee on Thursday 16th November 2000 for the presentation of the awards. Front from left: Ivan Crowley, Fiona O'Neill, Ross O'Connor (overall winner), Gearoid O'Daly, Laura Costello, Margaret Maguire. Back from left: Dan O'Sullivan (Awards Chairman), Fr. Neilus Enright, Brendan Fitzgerald (Lions Club President), Garda Michael O'Connell, Fergus Dillon, Kevin Rolls.

There were six finalists in the Tralee Lions Club Youth Awards competition and only one winner ... but there were many happy faces at the Grand Hotel, Tralee on Thursday night 16th November for the presentation of the Awards for this year.

All of the entrants deserved to win, according to Brendan Fitzgerald, President of Tralee Lions Club, who said that he was proud to be involved in the Awards competition, which is held annually by the Club to reward young people for their work in the community and many good deeds over the years.

The overall winner of this year's Award was eighteen-year old Ross O'Connor from Spa Road, Tralee, who was nominated for the Award by his teachers, Miss O'Dwyer and Mr. Rolls of CBS, The Green, where Ross is a student. The reason for choosing Ross as the overall winner was summed up by Dan O'Sullivan, Chairman of the Lions Club Youth Awards: 'He is a very deserving winner, having participated in his community for years and done trojan work.'

Ross spent 9 years working as an altar-boy in the Convent of Mercy, Balloonagh. He was also a member of the Legion of Mary, during which he visited the elderly in Tralee General Hospital and Fatima Home on a weekly basis. He was a volunteer leader in the Spa Road/Balloonagh Estate Soccer Skills competition and the Residents Association's Community Clean Up. He has taken part in training courses to develop and improve his leadership and facilitation skills as part of the Junior Leader tarining programme. His hobbies include soccer, socialising, rugby and badminton.

The runners-up were:

• Fiona O'Neill from Causeway;
• Gearoid O'Daly from Oakpark, Tralee;
• Margaret Maguire from Lixnaw;
• Laura Costello from Tonevane, Tralee;
• and Ivan Crowley from Tralee.

All of the judges expressed their admiration for the dedication to the community exemplified by the six nominees. Fergus Dillon said that it was a real eye-opener for him, in view of the great deal of negativity normally associated with young people. "Tonight", he said, "we see a positive insight into what young people are really doing. It was a very difficult decision for the judges to make but I can safely say that all of you are a great representation for your families, your age group and yourselves." Fr. Neilus Enright of St. Brendan's Parish, said that getting motivated was the most difficult part in getting involved in community work. "You are all confident people, not self-centred, and are out there in the community doing magnificent work. For that, you deserve our admiration."

Award winner, Ross O'Connor, will now go forward to the Regional Finals in Cork and, if successful there, will proceed to the National Lions Club Youth Awards Final in Dublin.